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Brigham and Women's Hospital receives NIH Program of Excellence in Glycosciences award

The laboratory of Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, of the Dermatology Department at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), has been granted a prestigious Program of Excellence Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support investigations in glycobiology: the discipline which studies how sugars direct biologic processes.

8 Jul 2011

Onconova, SymBio enter commercialization collaboration for rigosertib in Japan and Korea

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc., and SymBio Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that they will collaborate to develop and commercialize rigosertib in Japan and Korea. Onconova is conducting late-stage clinical trials with rigosertib (ON 01910.Na) in the U.S., Europe and India for the treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and solid tumors.

8 Jul 2011

Common cell pathway could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer

A discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers about a how a common cell pathway that helps regulate cell survival and production is turned on could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Blood tests encourage more people to participate in regular screening for colorectal cancer

Epigenomics AG, the cancer molecular diagnostics company, today announced the results of a survey conducted at europacolon's first European CRC Patient Conference, The Power of Patient Voice 2011, showing that patients believe tests using blood samples would encourage more people to participate in regular screening for colorectal cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Transplants with half-matched bone marrow or cord blood are comparable to fully matched tissue

Identifying a suitable donor for leukemia and lymphoma patients who need bone marrow transplants may be far easier now that results of two clinical trials show transplant results with half-matched bone marrow or umbilical cord blood are comparable to fully matched tissue, thanks in large part to the availability of effective antirejection drugs and special post-transplant chemotherapy.

8 Jul 2011

Mesenchymal stem cells protect and heal

A stem cell that can morph into a number of different tissues is proving a natural protector, healer and antibiotic maker, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and their peers have found.

8 Jul 2011

Autologous adult stem cells reduce frequency of angina episodes

New research published online today in Circulation Research found that injections of adult patients' own CD34+ stem cells reduced reports of angina episodes and improved exercise tolerance time in patients with chronic, severe refractory angina (severe chest discomfort that did not respond to other therapeutic options).

From Baxter International Inc. 8 Jul 2011

Collaborative research discovers broadly acting antibody against influenza viruses

Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. They describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains.

8 Jul 2011

UTMB scientists to look at possible impact of Gulf oil spill on seafood safety

In an effort to determine the vulnerability of affected Gulf Coast communities following last year's BP oil spill,the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded a five-year $7.85 million grant to a consortium of university researchers and Gulf Coast community groups led by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to examine the safety of Gulf seafood and the long-term health of those who consume it.

8 Jul 2011

Novartis Afinitor Phase III trial on tuberous sclerosis meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today Phase III trial results that showed more than one-third of patients taking Afinitor tablets experienced a 50% or greater reduction in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, non-cancerous brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

8 Jul 2011

New advances in Alzheimer's disease research

Advancing age is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and is associated with build- up of the peptide amyloid β in the brain. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS shows that removal of amyloid β from the brain depends on vitamin D and also on an age-related alteration in the production of transporter proteins which move amyloid β in and out of the brain.

8 Jul 2011

AHAF awards 22 new grants to scientists worldwide for innovative vision research

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization with a history of funding cutting-edge research on age-related diseases, announced today that it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the U.S.

8 Jul 2011

Cortisol hormone controls bile acid recycling process

Nature sees to it that we do not have "too much choler" in our body. A delicately equilibrated regulation system ensures that there is always exactly the right amount of bile in the gallbladder. When we are hungry, our body releases a hormone called cortisol, which is a glucocorticoid. Hepatic cells receive this hormone signal through their cortisol receptors and respond by filling the gallbladder with bile in preparation of the imminent food intake.

8 Jul 2011

Exenatide tQT clinical trial meets pre-specified primary endpoint

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today announced results from a thorough QT (tQT) study that assessed the potential of exenatide to increase the QT interval across a wide range of plasma concentrations.

8 Jul 2011

Medtronic enters definitive agreement to acquire Salient Surgical Technologies

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Salient Surgical Technologies, Inc., the leader in the advanced energy category for haemostatic sealing of soft tissue and bone in a variety of surgical procedures including orthopaedic surgery, spine, open abdominal and thoracic procedures.

From Medtronic 8 Jul 2011

ThromboView gets positive results in study evaluating accuracy and safety

Drug and diagnostic company Agenix Limited (ASX: AGX), today announced the positive results of a study to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy

7 Jul 2011

Salt intake study causes confusion

A new review of studies refutes earlier knowledge and says salt may not be as bad for the heart as commonly believed. Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in Exeter, U.K. reviewed data for the Cochrane Library from seven studies with nearly 6,500 participants who reduced their salt intake and found that while eating less salt did lower blood pressure, it did not reduce the risk of dying or of having heart disease.

7 Jul 2011

Gum disease linked to infertility

According to experts gum disease may reduce the chances of getting pregnant. Poor oral health is as bad for fertility as obesity - delaying conception by about two months says latest research.

7 Jul 2011

Heartworm medication Ivermectin prevents malaria transmission in Africa

A cheap, common heartworm medication that is already being used to fight other parasites in Africa could also dramatically interrupt transmission of malaria, potentially providing an inexpensive tool to fight a disease that kills almost 800,000 people each year, according to a new study published in the July edition of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

7 Jul 2011